Fans react to Lil Nas X’s ‘unique’ cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene

He covered the song in BBC Radio One’s Live Lounge

Elizabeth Aubrey
Wednesday 22 September 2021 00:35 BST
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Lil Nas X covering Dolly Parton

Fans on social media have been reacting after Lil Nas X performed what they said was a “unique cover” of Dolly Parton’s Jolene.

Lil Nas X appeared on BBC Radio One’s Live Lounge today (21 September) and performed album title track, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”, along with two further tracks from the album, “Dead Right Now” and “That’s What I Want”.

After this, X’s surprise cover was of Parton’s iconic 1974 hit, “Jolene”.

Speaking about his choice, Lil Nas X said: “I chose this because I feel like this song is kind of like beautifully sad, you know?

“I like the little country twang, so I was like, ‘Let me try this out’.”

You can hear the cover in full here:

Fans on social media have been reacting to the cover, with one calling it “unique” and another saying it was a “joyous return to his country roots.”

You can see some more reaction here:

On the show, the musician also talked about being a role model in the LGBTQ+ community, saying: “It feels great, but I guess I take everything with a grain of salt. Still, I’m thankful that people see me as an inspiration like that.

“I try not to start living my life by that, like living my life by making sure that people continue to see me as an inspiration.”

He also opened up about his dream collaboration, saying that he would love to work with Rihanna.

Lil Nas X released his latest album, Montero, last Friday (September 17) to critical acclaim.

The Independent said in its review: “Close your eyes as you listen to Montero and you can almost feel the rainbow confetti falling from the ceiling and sticking to your tears. This album isn’t the creation of a gimmick-spinner.

‘It’s an album bursting with technicolour heart. Now, where did I hide that disco-stetson?”

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